College of Arts & SciencesCommunication Studies

Undergraduate

Exploring Human Interaction

Communication Studies examines the dynamics of human interaction in a variety of contexts, including interpersonal relationships, organizations, and various institutional and cultural spheres. Our curriculum explores the role of communication in society and encourages the development of skills in speaking, listening, critical thinking, problem solving, research, and technology-guided communication.

We endeavor to guide our students not only toward the development of core communication skills, but also toward understanding and applying theory, furthering the discipline, and advancing the ethical use of symbolic discourse.

For undergraduates, we provide a general education in the three major areas of Communication Studies:

Interpersonal: explores how communication messages create self-concepts, climates and personal relationships, including the study of family, gender, and culture.

Organizational: Studies communication in business, industry, and established social structures.

Rhetoric/Public Address: studies the principles of human communication between speakers and audiences, including the historical and social contexts of persuasion and political discourse.

As part of USD's undergraduate requirements, many students opt to take SPCM 101 (Fundamentals of Speech). This Communication Studies course satisfies part of the liberal arts core curriculum for students of all majors at USD.

SPCM 101 Basic Course Description

This course is designed to combine the study of communication theory with practical applications of these ideas into your communication decisions. You will develop an understanding and appreciation of the study of human communication from a variety of perspectives and contexts and will apply those theories to your communication experiences. The course involves practice in speaking and statement, listening, critical thinking, relationship building, small group decision making, persuasion, and argument construction and evaluation.